I heard a pair of these in New York at Sound By Singer in Feb '98. Of course, they were hooked to megabuck gear but... they should be.
All I can say is unless you cherish and absolutely require full 15 Hz to 30 Hz in your listening room, these are the best speakers (and associated equipment) that I have ever heard, in my opinion. I would personally buy these speakers if I had $5500 or so to spend on speakers. They excel at soundstaging and imaging but are very smooth (frequency response wise) and rather extended. They are very airy on the top and roll off smoothly on the bottom. While this speaker has fierce competition in the price range with Aerial, Martin-Logan B&W von Schewikert etc..., if you enjoy accurate music and accurate scale of music above the latest trend and how fashionable a speaker is, this very well could be the speaker for you.

This is one of the few products I reviewed on these pages that has made me long for a possible 10 star rating.

Totally disappointed! Five stars rating???Go and listen: 1)Sonus Faber Guarnieri
2)Sonus Faber Amati
3)B&W 801,802 Nautilus
4)Any Thiel model
5)Chord ls5/12
6)Pro ac response 3 ....

A while ago, I was looking for a new pair of speakers in the 3k$ range. So, I set out to listen to the Joseph Audio RM25, Maggies (1.6 and 3.6), some MLs, ProAc's (and a couple more) and the Audio Physic Tempo III. When listening to the latter ones (at Singer in NYC), I had a chance to audition the Virgo's as well and - almost needless to say - was completely fascinated by these speakers (which, by the way, easlily outperformed all the other ones).

The Virgo's have been praised enough, so I just want to add a few comments: when listening to e.g. orchestral music the virgo's put you in the conductors place. most(?) other speaker layouts give you the impression of sitting a few rows back. In this point, the Virgo's perfectly fit my taste. Some complain about the lean bass of the Virgo's. Again, this might be a matter of personel preference, as I find the bass deep, fast and accurate. Sure, they are missing the last bit of realy deep bass only found in higher end speakers (but I don't crave that too much, anyway).
I'm also pleased, that I'm still able to keep my Naim Nait 2 (30Wpc) to drive them.

The main reason, however, for me to write this review is to comment on the value rating. The retail price for this speaker in the US is about 5500$ and at SbS in NYC a 10% discount was all they could offer me (so, still around 5k$, excluding tax). So, I ended up buying the Virgo's in Germany (where it is made and where I come from) and paying just half of that price (well, around 3k$, including customs). Not a small profit for the dealers, I guess. But if you would sell a Virgo for around 3k$ here in the US, who would buy any other speaker?

timbral accuracy, image size, dynamic contrast, liveliness,...

Somewhat diffuse midbass.

After living with this beauty for more than one year, I think a follow-up report is necessary for potential buyers.

Over the past year my system has seldom changed: Symphonic Line RG-1 amp, Klimo Merlin preamp, and PS Audio Lambda and Ultralink II DAC. But I have treated my dedicated listening room with RPG diffusor and absorption panels, along with inclusion of some excellent cable after extensive listening test have made my Virgo really show off. (The Marigo Ultra power cord and Kimber WBT108 fitted KCAG, etc.)

The speaker placement is still most critical factor to get the best. Every time I replaced new cable/equipment I must relocate Virgos. These speakers are so sensitive and transparent to the source equipment. The image size is big and lifelike. The metal dome tweeter produces high with tremendous clarity. Not a slight glare and grain. The beautifulness of small chamber music is delivered without edgeness and hollowness.

The dynamic contrast is also incredible. The impact and full size of orchestral works is precisely conveyed. Rock music has dynamic, pace and rhythm. Virgo really takes me to the heart of music, to the place the music producer or song writer wants me to go.

Perhaps next year I would post another follow-up report. I know I would. The Virgos has come into my life. I can't imagine a day without listening to their sweet voices.

Similar Products Used:

Auditioned B&W N801, N802, N805, Wilson Benesch Bishop,...

I purchased the virgo's a week ago and they do sound really great. A tremendous amount of detail. And they haven't played in yet. I do not know how long it takes to play them in. Maybe one of you people can tell me ??They cost a lot of money but are definitely worth the price.

Spaciousness, intimacy, palpability. Superb dissappearing act, even at low levels. Detail, detail..warm and musical.

Extra low bass extension, if you need it get a sub.

Virgos to my ears were clearly superior to all above systems. These speakers were stunning in their ability to draw you into the sound. Lifelike, musical, immediate. Huge, expansive soundstage, Thiels were good in this respect but no match for Virgos. These babys dissappeared completely. My mind never drifted listening to these , they are riveting.
My next favorite speaker was the B&W 801, these were great, but not at normal listening levels. You had to crank them to make them sing, plus they needed a lot of power. I would seldom play them at the cranked levels in my house, i am an older yuppie just like the rest of you guys. I think this is a common mistake auditioning speakers, make sure you play them at levels where your wife wont yell at you.
I could appreciate the clean, coherent sound of the other systems above. All had great top to bottom presentation, and superb dynamics with the right amp. They reproduced what the amp fed them. But they left me feeling cold, and unwilling to open my wallet. Something MUSICAL was missing, they had no extra dimension to my ears. The Virgos were like a sharp girl with personality that you start to lust after, the other systems were like guys in white lab coats.
Absolutely a must listen, you will see why these have been Audio Physics most popular speaker by far for at least 6 years.

Similar Products Used:

auditioned B&W 801, 803, Thiels, Dunlavy SCIV, Revel studios, Avantgarde unos, Aerial 7B and 10T, Kharma Ceramique

Openness, spaciousness. These speakers dissappear. I had emotional response which is rare for me in high end audio.

No dealers in Boston area

Maybe it is me, maybe i have bricks for ears. But these are the only speakers which gave me a rise. Precise, open, musical; created an ARTISTIC presentation. These babies hit the spot.
I wonder if capturing a live performance is really possible. ( What is live anyway when most recordings are done in studio and then processed through a myriad of effects units? ) A sound system needs to sound musical in its own way, ie it has to "interpret" the sound in a musical way. The end result has to artistically/esthetically pleasing. Most high end systems i audition leave me cold. I can appreciate the neutrality and balance of these systems, but the end result for me is decidedly non emotional.
When you hear a violin, do you care if the tone is a perfect, exact note? Do you care if it is a perfect reproduction of the sound of the string? OF course not. It is the complex and pleasing overtones created by the vibration of the body of the instrument which strikes you. A perfect exact note would sound like a synthesizer. And too many of these systems sound like artificial, cold interpretations of the recording. Seems to me the system needs to "vibrate" in its own way, and not just be a neutral wire.
If anyone has had a similar experience and can direct me to other products, please comment or email.

Similar Products Used:

Auditioned Aerial 8, B&W 803, Thiel 2.3, Hales, Dunlavy SCIV

This is the most open and invisible speaker Ive heard. Its soundstage and focus are superb.

No grills, the kids are curious.

I think its simple... If youve got the good stuff in front of these, not the cheap mid-fi junk, your on your way to musical satisfaction. By the way, dont skimp on cables either, the Nordost SPMs really made a big diffrence.

Similar Products Used:

Auditioned: Theil, B&W, Aerial, JM Lab, ProAc(excellent)
Vanderstein, Meadowlark and sone others that are not worth mentioning.

very good on some music

just did not have the drive needed to capture the strength of the live event. still thought they were a very good speaker

very good on some music lack a bit on others

Similar Products Used:

wilson thiel psb many others

Imaging, Sound staging, transparency, Tight bass.

Slight beaming treble, cabinet work

I went to listen to the Audio Physic Virgo’s and the Talon Korous’s at a Dealer who is new to me. John Goldman at Goldman Audio is what I believe is the “perfect Dealer.” He has a “real” job from 9-5. Then changes his hat and becomes audio dealer extraordinaire. This type of dealer has no pressure to pay the bills since he already has a steady source of income. He plays/works out of his house so there is low overhead. This is great for us customers because we get to listen without the breathing down the neck that I experienced in the past from the conventional dealer.

Anyway, I purchased the Audio Physic Virgo which is a truly great speaker at it’s price. The transparency, imaging , sound staging and bass are magical. Cabinet work is just satisfactory. It does not compare to the beautiful cabinet work of the Aerial Acoustics line of speakers. I do think the Virgos sound better then the Aerial 7B using similar drivers though. I don’t like the binding posts on the virgo’s because they do not have a wide enough surface for the spade plugs to rest. My speakers only have about 80 hrs. on them but I have noticed careful placement is necessary or the tweeters can be a bit beamy. Are there any Virgo owners out there who have experienced the same? Any suggestions? I am using Kimber 8TC speaker cable with a Plinius 100 Mk 3. ! I love the Plinius but I think 100 watts is over kill for the Virgos. But Oh! The bass grip the Plinius provides. The Plinius stays!! The cables my go. Ideas anybody?

I am going to try different cables at John’s suggestion. I am also going to listen to the new Marsh tube pre amp and the Joule pre amp. He is more then happy to let you listen to anything he has in your own system. That is the only way to really audition! John knew I was not in the market for a $14,000 pair of speakers but insisted I listen to the Talon’s just for the fun of it! During my audition he replaced cables so that hear I could hear the differences they provide. I am a true believer now.

If I had the money I would have purchased the Talon Korous. But I don’t so I didn’t. My family has a habit of eating three meals a day! My daughter also mentioned something about going to college some day. The speaker does lives up to the hype though. It is very musical and easy on the ears. This speaker has all the detail with out the bite, if you know what I mean. (no insult to all you Wilson owners). And bass! I don’t know why Clement Perry felt the need to add the Roc subwoofer. For me the Korous bass was just fine on it’s own.

I hope all of you who are building your dream system find the “perfect Dealer” like I did. It makes life that much easier. Enjoy!

P.S. The talons get 5 Stars!